3 Leagues in 30 Days Challenge

I started playing Starcraft 2 because my buddy Spolz was a huge fan of the original and pretty much forced me into the second one when it was released.  I had just purchased a strong computer and wanted to play some games on it, so why not THE pc game?  I've never been a real strong RTS player... in fact, I've NEVER played RTS seriously.  The last time I had played an RTS (Real Time Strategy game) was Command and Conquer: Red Alert in the 90s.  To say Starcraft is jumping into the deep end of the pool isn't fair.  What is much closer to reality is that Starcraft is like jumping into the deep end of the pool... and the pool is filled with acid... and sharks.

More after the jump!

3 Rax Stim Opener and General Build Tips

"3RAXSTIM" is a strategy for opening a round while playing as Terran in Starcraft 2.  This is NOT an all-in strategy and can smoothly transition into a macro game if the timing attack doesn't end the game.  The initial push WILL win you a lot of games if handled properly, but if they survive, you'll still be in the lead.


Special thanks to Razklath for all his help.

Where I Learned 3 Rax Stim and How it's Worked for Me

I learned how to open with 3rax stim from the viewers of my twitch.tv stream.  I was low silver at the time and was probably losing 60% of my rounds on my way to a demotion to bronze.  I was facing guys who were in the bronze league (and not top 8) who were slightly favored in the pre-game.  A viewer named Razklath  said "You are trying to do too much.  I think you need to do something more simple until your control improves."  We did a few practice rounds where he emphasized what needed to be done, how to judge my performance, etc and I was off.

Starting with my first round after learning the opener through the next day I went 24-4.  I was promoted to gold 2 days later and was enjoying Starcraft more than I ever have.

Video example, build order, and guide after the jump